1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an absorbent article for absorbing body fluids and exudates, such as urine and fecal material. More particularly, the present invention relates to absorbent garments, such as disposable diapers and adult incontinence garments, which are configured to collect and contain fecal material and avoid leakage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, employ absorbent materials located between a liquid pervious topsheet and a liquid impermeable backsheet to absorb body exudates. Such conventional absorbent articles have also typically included elasticized waistbands and leg cuffs to help reduce the leakage of body exudates.
However, many of such conventional absorbent articles have not been completely satisfactory. For example, many conventional absorbent articles have not completely contained the body exudates within the article during use thereby undesirably resulting in leakage which has soiled the clothes of the wearer. This leakage problem has been particularly evident in the leg regions of such absorbent articles when runny or watery fecal material has been excreted by the wearer during use. Typically, the runny or watery fecal material has been forced laterally and longitudinally outwards from the crotch of the article towards the leg and waist openings in the article due to the forces exerted by the wearer. Such problems are magnified when the wearer is particularly active and continually exerts pressure on the crotch area of the article. The leakage problem has also occurred because such fecal material, which has an affinity for the skin, has traveled along the skin of the wearer and has not been sufficiently contained and controlled within the absorbent article.
Some conventional absorbent articles have included elasticized components and containment or barrier flaps at the leg and waist regions of the article to reduce such leaks. However, such elasticized components and containment flaps have not always completely eliminated leakage from the leg regions of such articles. For example, exudates such as runny fecal material have remained on and been transferred along the skin of the wearer until they escape through small openings between the containment flaps and the body of the wearer. Such openings between the body of the wearer and the containment flaps have been caused by improper fit of the article about the wearer and the movements of the wearer during use. Moreover, such containment flaps have typically not been very resistant to compressive forces and have readily collapsed under the weight of or forces exerted by the wearer. Such collapsing has undesirably allowed the wearer's body to contact the bodyside liner of the article during use which has forced any fecal exudates out of the crotch portion.
As a result, although such leg elastics and containment flaps have improved the performance of such articles, there remains a need to further reduce the number of leaks of fecal material from the leg and waist regions of such absorbent articles.